Maritime Trade and Transport - HWWI

ly, due to their size, there will also be more mergers and acquisitions in the future. Three main
factors will be of interest to the components supplier industry in the future:
Propulsion systems – The energy-efficient and environment-friendly ship
The world merchant fleet uses about 5% of the produced petroleum annually. Marine engines
primarily use heavy fuel oil (bunker oil) with high harmful emissions. Large merchant ships are
driven by slow, smaller freighters and chemical tankers by medium-speed diesel engines. Gas
tankers generally have a steam propulsion system. In the future, rising fuel costs and more
stringent environmental regulations will confront engine manufacturers with considerable challenges.
After all, greater size also requires greater propulsive power. This balancing act can hardly
be managed with the conventional direct drive.
As an alternative, the diesel-electric, indirect drive, is likely to prevail. 50 The ship’s engine
drives a generator, which provides energy to an electric engine, which in turn drives the screw
propeller. The higher costs of the system are compensated by significant advantages. There is
less wear, the ship is easier to maneuver, the screw can be well positioned hydrodynamically, and
surplus energy can be used for operation of the vessel. The result is considerable fuel savings over
the direct drive. The pod drive is also based on a combination of diesel and electric engines. The
screws are housed in rotating gondolas, thus making a rudder unnecessary and the ship extremely
maneuverable. Even large container ships can be driven this way. European manufacturers
like Siemens, MTU Friedrichshafen, MAN B&W Diesel, und ABB are leaders in this
relatively new technology. The next step, standard equipping of merchant ships with fuel cell
propulsion systems, is only expected in ten years. Prototypes have existed since 2004. Fuel cells
are already being used for the shipboard power supply. Spurred on by environmental legislation,
this technology could gain acceptance even earlier in ecologically critical regions.
For fast ships, water-jet propulsion systems have been further developed in recent years.
Due to the higher costs and lower efficiency than conventional drives, their use will be limited
to high-speed and other special ships.
Wind as a propulsion force is cost-free and environmentally compatible. Ships equipped
with auxiliary sail propulsion units can save 10%-70% of fuel, depending on the system and
the application area. 51 Wind-powered freighters have proven not viable, due to their high maintenance
costs and because the masts hinder the discharging of cargo. Skysails takes a different
approach: A huge towing kite tenses in the wind, 100-300 meters in front of the ship, providing
additional propulsion. The advantages: A constant, strong wind blows in higher air layers.
Besides, the kite takes up hardly any space and does not disturb the operation of the ship.
Up to 50% of the cost of €500,000 would be recovered in three years through fuel savings. The
system, especially suitable for ships that run at a slow speed, is to be used on a tanker for the
50 See Siemens (2006).
51 See Hamburger Abendblatt (2006), Hansa International Maritime Journal (2005a),
www.skysails.de.
110 Berenberg Bank · HWWI: Strategy 2030 · No. 4